Come With Me and Rest

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mark 6:31)

Sometimes we fall into busy-ness, and sometimes we get there by design.

Some of us don’t feel valued unless we are busy. This is a demonic lie spun to imprison us. The truth is  truth that we have infinite value because of who God is. God is love. Because he loves us, our heavenly Father gave the infinite worth of his own Son to buy us back from sin, death and condemnation. In God’s eyes, you have infinite value before you produce anything.

Others of us want to help others, so we say “Yes” when they ask us. But the multiple “Yeses” we speak result in us being overwhelmed with the responsibilities of others to the point where we cannot properly look after ourselves and those closest to us. We fail to recognize that we have limits, and within those limits God has called us to very specific roles—such as being a child of God, a spouse, a parent, or a worker—and when we prioritize these callings and say “No” to almost everything else, we find ourselves working within a life-giving rhythm that brings peace to our lives and blessing to others. People already have a Saviour, and it is not us.

In the midst of your busy-ness and mine, Jesus says to us, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” It seems counter-intuitive to rest when there is so much to do, but the engine for making an eternal difference for good in this world is not us, it’s Jesus. We were made for connection with Jesus. Without him we are like life-less toys that come in packages that say “Batteries not included.” Jesus is inviting you to trust him so much that you rest your precious life in him and let him live his energizing life through you. The results will be far beyond what you can imagine and it begins by giving your first and best “Yes” to Jesus.

Dear Jesus, help me to start each day by resting in you. Strengthen, encourage and renew me in faith so I can step aside and let you work through me. Amen.